


Naruto Eiyūtan - The Convergence of Fate

by dreamchaser21



Category: Naruto
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst with a Happy Ending, Comedy, F/F, F/M, M/M, Original Character(s), Other, Smart Uzumaki Naruto, Strong Haruno Sakura
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-29
Updated: 2016-10-29
Packaged: 2018-08-27 17:57:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,405
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8411050
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dreamchaser21/pseuds/dreamchaser21
Summary: Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha, two of the strongest shinobi had fallen and hope was lost when their lives were taken. Five shinobi risk it all by going back in time to reverse the tragedy that crippled the shinobi world and complete a long-term mission that can possibly change their futures and rewrite history! An Naruto adventure story with OCs and stronger canon characters! The story takes place and deviates after the Invasion of Pain arc!





	1. PROLOGUE

**:::::**

**[STORY ARC 1]**  
**The Mysterious Girls Appear**

Prologue

\- Resolution -  
The Beginning Of A New Adventure

**:::::**

 

**_Kikyō Castle District_ **  
**_Konohagakure, Land of Fire._ **  
_**May 26, Year 42 SNTE. 9:27 A.M.**  
_

From the dark gray stagnant skies in the Village Hidden in the Leaves, small droplets of water started to plop down one by one on the ground. It wasn't until moments later that the droplets turned into heavy rain and it came piercing down quickly, dampening the soil and everything around it. Some of the citizens that were caught in the rain tried to find a dry place to reside for the time being. There were others who had no choice but to deal with the hardened water that constantly pelted through the dilapidated roofs in their so called homes.

In a house that was located near the oriental-styled prefecture known as Kikyō Castle, a girl was looking out of her window as the rain continued to pour and beat against the clear glass. Her turquoise blue eyes that were usually filled with joy and happiness was now replaced with distress and sadness. As she slid her hand through her medium length, ochre orange hair, she sighed and rested her head on the wall behind her. She never did like rainy weather and it would only depress her.

"Geez, how long are you gonna stare out that damn window, Miyuki?" When the blonde heard a familiar voice spoke to her, she turned to her right and she saw a girl who was a year older than her standing with her hands on her hips. The other girl had deep purple hair that was cut in an asymmetrical style and it stopped to the nape of her neck. Her onyx eyes had showed exasperation from the blonde getting depressed so easily.

"Will this rain every stop, Nariko?" Miyuki would always ask herself this question every time it would storm. She wasn't referring to the actually rain itself, but to everyone in the village in general. "I'm tired of seeing it."

Sensing where the blonde was going with her question, the mauve-haired girl had went over to the other side of the room to grab a giant scroll and she rolled it out on the clean wooden floor. Not too far away, two travel bags was sitting up against the wall with two smaller scrolls leaning against it. "Let's not get into that again."

Miyuki knew what Nariko was talking about and she couldn't help but remember how her once lovely and lively home was now a barren wasteland. It wasn't just in the Land of Fire, but all the Five Great Nations plus the smaller nations all around the world had suffered from the same fate. The civilians dealt with living deteriorating lives while the remaining shinobi cope with how they lost their ability to fight and believe in peace. Peace and salvation was something that didn't exist anymore. Everyday was a constant, never-ending nightmare that would never disappear. This was how life was for everyone who lived in the current shinobi world.

As Nariko slipped her foot into her shinobi sandals, she pondered the events that changed the world into what it was now. The memories of those moments were too painful and harrowing. Shinobi had died valiantly in battle, some had sacrificed themselves for the sake of others, even some of the children were brave enough to try and fight during the tragedy that greatly jarred humanity. Shaking her head to erase the saddening memoirs, Nariko had continued to get ready. "Why do you choose this time to be a downpour? If Kālī-sama believe we can change fate, then that's what we're gonna do. Besides, we're not exactly pushovers and you of all people should know that."

The blonde huffed from her attitude. She was always so crude and brash with her words and it got on her nerves sometimes. Miyuki wished that Nariko could a bit more gentler and mindful of people's feelings, but that won't change because that's literally how she was. "Well, excuse me for being a 'downpour' as you would call it. We prepared ourselves for this moment for the last five years and I can't help but be a little worried and concerned about the outcome. You might not care, but I do. Are you sure we're ready for this?"

Nariko had sighed from Miyuki's little banter. She knew better than anyone that she was someone who would worry about every little thing, but she also knew that Miyuki was a person who didn't care too much about a certain thing in particular: excessive fighting. The two girls were both proficient kunoichi in their own right, but Nariko was more hellbent on fighting than living out this life in trepidation. "Listen, I understand that you're scared and that's perfectly normal, but I can't stand this life of constant terror anymore."

Miyuki's turquoise eyes had slightly narrowed with animosity and they were instantly fixated on Nariko. This upset her because Nariko was acting like what they were about to embark on wasn't a big deal and in reality, it really was a big deal. "But, remember what Kālī-sama said to us? We can't do anything to severely alter with the past. The results of that could be catastrophic."

Nariko had sensed the consternation that Miyuki was feeling and the noirette was trying to see this situation from a positive outlook and not concern her with the consequences. So, it wasn't like Nariko didn't care about what would happen. Hell, she had already knew what was gonna happen and she was still dead set on carrying out this so called _'plan'_ of theirs. "Miyuki, as long as do what we have to do, then everything will be fine. Trust me, okay?" Nariko said to Miyuki in a soothing voice, trying to calm her down and convince her that everything would be fine.

Miyuki knew she had the tendency to worry a lot, but whenever Nariko would use her adamant yet calming and soothing words, it was near impossible to try and argue with her. There was no way of trying to get Nariko to change her mind and Miyuki did not want to see her Nariko get angry with her. That was not a pretty sight to say the least. Not dwelling on it anymore, Miyuki had smiled at her and held out her hand as she formed in into a tight fist. "All right then. Let's do this."

Nariko blinked in surprise when she saw that blonde's worries had temporarily diminished for the time being. Determination was present in her features and the older girl had smirked from Miyuki's attitude change. Raising her hand, Nariko bumped her fist against the blonde's. "Yeah. Let's create a new and brighter future for our generation."

**= xxxxx =**

An hour later, the girls were already packed up and were ready to go. Nariko had passed Miyuki her travel bag and they both put them on their backs. They had cleaned up their home so when they came back, they would have a nice clean house to come home to. After this mission was a success, they would bring back more than just themselves, but hope and salvation to illuminate the village once more.

"All right, Miyuki. I'm gonna perform the technique." Nariko announced as she performed the Snake, Horse, Rat, and the Ram hand seals. As Nariko spread her hands out with the thumb and index fingers touching one another, the jutsu was activated and a pair of black vortexes had opened up on the scroll below them. The portal themselves looked very dangerous and the malicious aura that was emanating from them was making the blonde nervous all over again. "There. All set."

Looking inside of the vortex, Miyuki saw the incredible chakra that was flowing and how tangible and powerful it was. Nariko had practiced this jutsu for five years, but this was Miyuki's first time actually seeing it. Was this jutsu safe enough to travel through in order to get to their destination in one piece or would they suffer from repercussions so dangerous that they might not come back alive. Realizing this, Miyuki got ready to ask Nariko a question, but she was cut short when Nariko tossed something to her.

When the blonde examined it, Miyuki noticed that it was a kunai and it had two extra prongs that were added like extra blades with the handle was thicker than a normal one and extravagant calligraphy was written on the hilt of it. Miyuki had realized that the kunai was different from any normal kunai and it had only belonged to one person. The one person that she missed dearly more than life itself. "Nariko, this is-"

"I know." Nariko stopped her before Miyuki could say anything more. The noirette didn't want her to mention his name. She looked behind her and saw a picture sitting on top of the nightstand and her onyx eyes had convulsed with sadness when she saw who were all present in the photo. She quickly turned around to keep herself from looking at it anymore than she should have. She held up the same kind of kunai that she gave to Miyuki not too long ago. "I know. Miyuki, are you ready?"

"Yeah." The blonde answered as the calligraphy on the three-pronged kunai began to glow brightly and surge with chakra. "Don't forget the promise, Nariko."

Nariko nodded and her kunai began to glow as well. "Don't worry. I won't."

With a soft clang with the sharp end of the kunai, the girls looked at one another and said in unison, "Don't use that technique unless it's absolutely necessary."

It was now time for them to leave the world that they were currently living in and entering another one that was would be the playing field for their mission. It would be the first time that the two girls would be apart from one another and it would be a while before they would see each other again. It was a rather difficult moment for them, but they had to do what they had to do for the sake of the mission.

"I love you, Nariko. You take care of yourself, okay?" The blonde had smiled tearfully and grasped Nariko's hands one last time.

Nariko had tried not to be affected by Miyuki's solemn expression, but she could understand why she acting that way. Miyuki admired and cared about her deeply and the noirette felt the same way for the blonde. "I love you too, Miyuki, and I promise to be careful."

The two girls quickly embraced each other before they prepared themselves to enter the black abyss of the portals that will take them to their destination. With one final tightening in their embrace to start their long term mission together, Nariko and Miyuki backed up just enough to be able to fall through the vortexes with ease. And at that moment, the two girls jumped into the portal of darkness, leaving the world they know behind them.

" **Miyuki!!! Nariko!!!** " Yelled a strong female voice and as the two vortexes vanished from the floor, a woman had rammed her fist into the door made it fly right off its hinges with her monstrous strength. Her body was completely soaked from the rain, her pale pink hair was matted down with moisture, and she was breathing unevenly from sprinting nonstop to try to make it to their house. The woman was known as Sakura Haruno, the head medic-nin and the leading kunoichi in the village. After a few more moments, her breathing had calm down and her heart rate had returned to normal.

"Please don't tell me..." The woman's celadon green eyes had scanned the room and the entire house, but the girls were nowhere to be found. They were gone and the woman had slammed her fist into a nearby wall, creating a dent from its powerful blunt force. "Damn it! I'm too late! Those two are gonna hurt themselves or worse. I don't even want to think about the consequences about what could possibly happen." Her words didn't do any good to deter the girls from going and she had try to make it clear to them no more than a week ago.

***~0~***

**_Memorial Stone_ **  
**_Konohagakure, Land of Fire._ **  
**_May 19, Year 42 SNTE. 3:47 P.M.  
_ **

_Sakura was talking to the two girls, trying her hardest talk them out of taking such a risky and dangerous mission without any experienced Jonin-level ninja or higher to go along with them. Despite everything she had told them, they were being extremely thickheaded. Especially Nariko in this case._

_"You girls still don't understand. After everything you told me, you really expect to believe that I'll just let you go?! Considering the possibilities, you could end up at any time and any place and there's not guarantee that it's safe nor will it work!" Sakura was being completely adamant with them._

_"Don't worry, Godmother. We did a lot of research for this mission, so we're gonna be fine." Miyuki announced to Sakura. "We want to do this for the sake of revitalizing the loss that tremendously shook the hearts of everyone in the world."_

_Sakura knew that Miyuki was talking about the events that happened five years ago and created such immutable damage, but for them to want to time-travel in order to reverse those events from even taking place? That was both absurd and extremely dangerous and the medic-nin was not gonna let them leave or execute this mission under any circumstances. As their legal guardian, Sakura was not going to let her godchildren throw their lives away._

_"We know you're concerned, but we're not called the Wind Maven and Fiery Noblesse of Konoha for nothing, you know." Nariko answered with a confident smirk. "Besides, our parents was wrongfully taken from us and I'm not gonna sit here and keep living knowing that I would never see their faces again. We want to change fate and try to correct the mistake that ended their lives! You can live with this change, but I refuse! I'm gonna fight for a happy ending and a new future!"_

_Nariko's words of ardor had resonated in Sakura deeply and she was overwhelmed by the noirette's strong will and spirit. She couldn't really say anything more to them about the matter and the veteran medic-nin was left emotionally stunned._

***~0~***

Their words echoed in her mind as her long, fringes fell over her eyes and she raised her head up slightly. Sakura's eyes were now filled with uncertainty. She knew how strong the girls are but she was concerned about how everyone in the past will react to this. "No one would possibly believe that shinobi can travel through time or can even use time travel techniques. It's unheard of and that kind of jutsu didn't even exist during my time as a young kunoichi." Sakura stated. "But the girls are already gone. There's nothing more that I can do except pray and hope that they will be okay."

Looking over at the nightstand was the photo that she remembered a certain artist had painted the picture of them back when the girls were only preteens. On the left was a charismatic blond wearing a white coat with red flames and the standard outfit of the Hokage - with a hint of orange to his ensemble. He was carrying little Nariko in his arms as she was throwing up a peace sign. Sakura was in the middle wearing her medic-nin garb clothing and she was smiling, and a tall, noirette-haired man with long spiked hair in who was donning an ANBU uniform was brooding in the picture. The reason for that was because little Miyuki was climbing on his back and slightly pulling on his hair, but she was smiling nonetheless.

Sakura had cracked a tiny weary smile from seeing the picture and remembering the two most important people in her life: Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha. The two greatest shinobi of their time had given up their lives for the sake of giving the shinobi world another chance at life and the simple fact that they were no longer around was a heavy blow to a lot of people. A small trail of liquid cascaded down the smooth face of the medic-nin and she wiped away her tear, reliving her memories of them for a moment. _'I hope that they are the ones who can truly change fate and bring you guys back.'_ Sakura thought. _'I really do.'_

All Sakura could do now was have faith and believe in them. Nariko and Miyuki, the proclaimed daughters of the deceased shinobi legends, Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha began their journey in order to restore peace in their future and possibly save the world of the past from a terrible fate.

* * *

*****NEXT CHAPTER*****  
  
\- Encounters -  
Visitors From Another World

_The Invasion of Pain has finally come to an end and many people are celebrating the victory of their savior, Naruto Uzumaki. In the midst of rebuilding their village, Naruto and Sakura meet a teenage girl that heavily resembles an old teammate of theirs. Meanwhile, a mysterious person from the shadows pursues another girl who arrives shortly in Nikkō Inn Town._


	2. CHAPTER 1

**:::::**

**[** **ACT 1 - ARC 1** **]**  
**The Mysterious Girls Appear**

_CHAPTER 01_

_\- Encounters -  
Visitors From Another World_

**:::::  
**

_Within the darkness of the black abyss, the rapid footsteps of someone running had resonated loudly around the space. Ragged panting escaped the person's throat while dripping perspiration trickled from their face, leaving a scattered trail in its wake. As they continued to run, there was a particular figure that was coming into view and it was because of seeing that did the person picked up the pace of his already breakneck sprint. The more they ran, the more of the person's silhouette had came to reveal itself to them._

_The person was revealed to be a young man no more than in his teens at the most. His black hair was styled with multiple spikes protruding on the back of his head, a short-sleeved, grey, high neck shirt with a symbol of a red and white hand fan was clad on his back, and nestled in between his purple rope belt and blue robe was a dark blue, sheathed long sword. This person was Sasuke Uchiha, the last remaining member of the nearly extinct Uchiha Clan. The noir-haired shinobi had committed many crimes and he had even joined the criminal organization, the "Akatsuki" after getting revenge on his brother, Itachi Uchiha._

_Now that his brother was deceased, he had no reason to return back to the Land of Fire. After everything that has happened within Konoha for the sake of peace, Sasuke knew that deep down within his heart that he would never return to the person that he used to be nor would he ever be able to ally himself with the village that he used to call his home. The scheming, corruption, betrayal, and the coup d'etat of the Uchiha Clan had clearly changed that perspective for the young Uchiha. However, there was one person that was still hellbent on trying to save him from the corrupted path that he had blatantly chosen for himself._

_As he heard the footsteps getting closer to him, the avenger had turned around and he noticed the familiar blond hair with the black forehead protector that accented his features. His light blue eyes were suffused with determination as he reached out his hand to reach him._

_It was none other than Naruto Uzumaki._

_Sasuke's eyes had showed no concern for his former friend as he continued to watch the expression on the blond's face. It was nothing short of moronic that Naruto would continue to go so far for him after he had made it very clear that he had no intentions of going back. But alas, Naruto kept trying to reach out to him, pull him back into the light before his darkness corrupted his mentality even further. Naruto was now within arm's reach for his closest friend and he once more stretched out his hand to him._

_As soon as Naruto was close enough, Sasuke had vanished right before his eyes, leaving him alone within the horror chamber of darkness._

**_'...to...' _ **

_The blond had heard something, but it was so close to being inaudible that he was certain that he didn't hear anything at all. So he listened for it and the voice had called for him again._

**_'...ruto...' _ **

_Naruto had felt the voice oscillated and it traveled through his body like a soft tremor._

**_'Naruto...' _ **

_The voice was much more clearer now and the blond noticed that this person's voice was somewhat distorted and it was a mixture between a woman and something that wasn't remotely human. This voice certainly didn't belong to the tailed beast and his partner, Kurama and Naruto had steadied himself and became cautious of this voice. "Who are you?"_

**_'You should forget about him, Naruto.' _ **

_Him? After quickly reminding himself about how Sasuke had disappeared in front of him, it all had came back to him in a flash. This voice or whoever it was trying to tell him to stay from Sasuke and not only that, it was telling him to negate the once in a lifetime promise that he had bequeathed on himself and Sakura a few years ago. The bond that Naruto and Sasuke had created together during their years was something that Naruto wasn't willing to sever. The blonde's hand clenched with silent anger as he listened to that voice, but not before yelling, "I don't know who you think you are, but you are crazy if you think I'm gonna give up on him now!"_

**_'You're so much better off without him. Your dreams of a bright future, the happiness of everyone within the village, having everyone you cherish sharing that eternal bliss with you. That's the life that you deserved after everything that you have suffered through as a Jinchūriki and all the pain that he has caused you. Your life will be wonderful and grand if you would just cut him out of it.' _ **

_Naruto's eyes was now filled with uncertainty about his life. He wanted everything that would make his life even better than it already was. But there was something that kept pulling him away from that eternal light of happiness._

**_'He's nothing but a dirty traitor. A filthy traitor who deserves to die! Why would you, the Child of Prophecy, go to such lengths to save such a destructive shinobi? Especially when he's hurt you in ways unimaginable.' _ **

_"No! He's not a traitor - he's my best friend and I won't let you tell me,otherwise! If he's not around, then my dream of true happiness or being able to save him will have no meaning or purpose behind it!" Naruto was too stubborn and too prideful to trade in the hardships of real life for an illusion of contentment. If Sasuke wasn't there with him basking in that light of happiness, then he would simply not indulge himself in it. It was as simple as that and nothing was gonna change that resolve of his._

_**'You're such a stubborn fool.'** The distorted voice was now dripping with feral resentment towards the blonde shinobi's answer. **' A colossal fool and you will pay the ultimate price for your actions in the near future. Keep believing in wanting to save your precious traitor, because it won't do you any good once the both of you are dead.'**_

_The moment that foul statement was said, multiple fibrils of black chakra was coming towards Naruto at an unnatural speed. When had turned around, a pale white hand as well as the fibrils of black chakra had pierced through his flesh, everything becoming silent when the crimson liquid had instantly splattered._

***~0~***

**_Naruto's Apartment_ **  
**_Konohagakure, Land of Fire._ **  
**_April 18, Year 17 SNTE. 10:52 A.M.  
_ **

With a abrupt gasp for breath, Naruto had quickly sat up in his bed and clenched the front of his chest as felt the rapid beating of his heart. His heart was pumping with the pace of a startled bird in a cage and he groaned with displeasure from waking up in such a state. "It's that same dream again."

The blonde had been having these kind of nightmares for the past three months and it didn't look like that they were gonna let up anytime soon. At least once a week, the same nightmare would invade his sleep and it each time, the nightmare would manifest itself into something more and more horrifying. But this was the first time that the nightmare had included Sasuke in it and now he was worried that the nightmare could lead to something far more threatening in real life. "The nightmares are getting stronger and stronger each time I have them, but I have no idea what it's suppose to mean."

After the invasion of Pain, Naruto never really had the chance to go out with his teammates and continued the search for their comrade. The village needed everyone's help and even though Naruto was the hero who saved the village, he couldn't see himself without lending a hand. As his thoughts had spiraled, there was a loud knock at his door. Naruto had gazed at the door with a frown, putting on a white shirt to cover his perspired covered chest and slipped on his orange slippers as he trudged to the door.

Apparently, the blond wasn't moving fast enough and the pounding on the door was getting louder by the minute. "All right, all right! Give me a -" As quick as the wind itself, the wooden door had flew off of its hinges and it was heading towards Naruto. Luckily, the blond had quick enough reflexes to sidestepped the door as it collided with the nearby wall, snapping in two like a tree twig. "...second?"

Whatever was left of the door was now hanging over one of the chairs in dining room that was connected to the kitchen. The blond felt a drop of sweat forming on the back of his head and cringed from the damage made in his home. _'Not again...'_

Looking at the doorway, Naruto was now face to face with a girl that he has known during their years as a team. Her short, pale pink hair had matched perfectly with her fair skin and her celadon green eyes was brimming with annoyance as she tapped her foot at the rattled blond. She was already dressed in her kunoichi attire as she walked inside of her teammate's apartment. "Naruto, didn't you hear me knocking?"

"And good morning to you, Sakura-chan." Naruto had looked back at the ruined door with pieces of the doorknob barely hanging on. "And you broke the door down before I even got a chance to get to it."

"Sorry about that, Naruto." Sakura apologized with a sheepish smile. "Maybe if you come to the door fast enough, this wouldn't happen so often."

_'Maybe this wouldn't happen so often if you would stop breaking my door every time you come here.'_ That's what Naruto _**really**_ wanted to say, but he knew that Sakura would beat the living daylights out of him if he carelessly slipped with his tongue. Letting out a languish yawn, he slipped a hand in his pocket. "Sakura-chan, what brings you to my place so early in the morning?"

"Oh, that's right. Shishō had wanted me to come and get you right away." The medic had explained, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "It's very important."

Naruto had inwardly whined from hearing the news. "Can't it wait, Sakura-chan? I just woken up and I haven't even gotten myself together. Can I at least get some Ichiraku before we-"

Sakura had grabbed a hold of his ear before he could even finished. "No, it cannot wait, Naruto! We're needed at the office for something crucial and the only thing you can think about is your stomach?!"

"Sakura-chan, let go of my ear!" Naruto yelled, feeling the pain of the pinching sensation rising around his outer lobe. "What could possibly be so important that you would forsake me of my sacred food?!"

"We have new information pertaining Sasuke-kun's whereabouts." Sakura quickly answered with a tiny glint of amusement gracing her features.

Naruto's movements had ceased as he stood up and looked down at his teammates while placing his hands on her shoulders. The blond had looked in her eyes and the grin that he was famous for was now forming on his face. "Sasuke? Seriously?! Why didn't you say so earlier? Hold on and I'll get ready!" Wasting no time at all, the blond had hurried to the back of his apartment, but not before grabbing his clean shinobi attire that was laying on his small light blue sofa.

"Naruto, h-hold on a second!" When Sakura heard the bathroom door slamming shut, she had threw her hands up in the air in exasperation. Soon after, she smiled from his easy-going attitude and how easily he could switch it in a heartbeat. "Honesty..."

Seeing the railing outside his apartment, Sakura walked through the door frame that lead to it and leaned against it while she waited for Naruto to get himself together. She had wondered would they finally be able to get some more mission work in before going on the search for Sasuke. She only hoped that they'll be able to track him down and bring him home this time around without any problems.

****= xxxxx =** **

_**Nikkō Forest Outskirts** _  
_**Nikkō Inn Town** _  
**_April 18, Year 17 SNTE. 11:37 A.M.  
_ **

Within a multi-colored chasm, a teenaged girl is seemingly soaring through the space while using a three-pronged kunai as a focal point to her destination. Throughout this whole experience, she had focused her chakra into not only protecting herself from possible danger of this jutsu, but making sure that the written calligraphy on the kunai held in place until she had arrived. Her turquoise eyes displayed wariness as she traveled through this endless chasm, but she would not waver in her own resolve of going back to the past.

In front of her, a small light had shown itself and it signaled the girl that she wasn't too far away from completing her part for this mission. As the light gradually grew in size, she remembered the times where the shinobi world was once full of life and the lands were vast in beautiful greenery. That was one of the things that she was looking forward to seeing again once she made through this rough ordeal. Covering her eyes to keep herself from being blinded from the light, the girl passed through the portal and she was greeted with a surprised when she took in the surroundings of the world.

As she free-falled towards the surface, she saw different spots that had lakes, trees, forests, and there was even a place where some mountains were residing as well. The scenery was absolutely breathtaking in her eyes and she gave a warm smile from seeing such a sight once again. "This is what our world is supposed to look like. We'll definitely bring this beautiful sight back after being apart from it for so long."

As much as she was enjoying the surroundings from the past, she would have ready herself to land properly like a shinobi should - unless she simply wanted to fall face first into the ground and hurt herself in the process. Seeing a large tree closing in on her, the girl fixed her body in a way that she would land perfectly on her feet. With a strong grip and spin around the branch, she secured her footing on the treetops and took a minute to bask in the soft sounds that the animals were making nearby.

The girl was wearing a licorice black cloak with a gold design on the left side of her chest and it reached down to her ankles and the hood that was on her head had obscured most of her features except for the clear shade of lipgloss that was adorned on her full lips. Leaping down from the tree, she carefully landed near a small passage and she had saw a worn out sign that had some writing on it. Walking up to it, the girl leaned in to get a closer look at the writing. "What is this? A bulletin of some sorts?"

Upon closer inspection, she noticed that there was warning in red ink and she had read it:  


_"Attention to all of those who come to visit Nikkō Inn Town: Be warned that they are mercenary assassins lurking within the dark recesses of the woods. Shinobi and civilians alike, please tread carefully if you value your lives."_  


From the warning message, she shook her head in disappointment. "I see some things haven't changed at all. If assassins are attacking people, then why hasn't anyone sent shinobi to deal with this situation? Well, hopefully, I won't run into them and have to deal with it."

It was only for an instant, but the girl had sensed something as she turned around and flung a kunai towards her left and into the trees. Scanning the area, she tried to get a feel and see if anyone was out there, but a small squirrel had scurried from out the bushes, carrying an acorn in its mouth. She let out a tiny sigh of relief from getting on edge so easily, but she was glad that her sensory abilities hadn't failed her even in that small regard. _'Hopefully, I can reach town before anything else happens...'_

Getting on the small passage that lead to the town, she made her way through the vast forest. The squirrel had ran away back into the trees and it ran past a pair of feet that had belonged to someone - a possible shinobi. Without her knowing however, that someone was indeed watching her from a distance and a smirk of murderous intent had formed on that person's face and they carefully pursued her.

**= xxxxx =**

**_Hokage Office_ **   
**Konohagakure, Land of Fire**   
**April 18, Year 17 SNTE. 12:31 P.M.**

Within different places and establishments, many civilians and shinobi alike were bustling and moving about, helping out with the reconstruction of the village. Even though the Invasion of Pain had left many wounds and scars, the self sacrifice of Nagato and Naruto's heroism had granted the village a second chance to rebuild their home into something even more beautiful than it was before. Learning about the aftermath of the invasion, many carpenters and shinobi from smaller nations who specialized in reconstruction had offered their services to the Village Hidden in the Leaves in terms of wanting to rebuild it.

Inside of the Hokage's office, Tsunade was sitting at her desk as she used her stamper to quickly mark her seals of approval through a pile of important documents. Her brown eyes narrow with determination to get through the tedious task as fast she could before her student and Naruto had arrived. Scanning over the last document carefully, she placed the stamp of approval on it and sat it in the completed pile on the opposite side of her.

"Shizune!" Tsunade yelled as she pressed the stamper into a pad of red ink nearby. "Bring me the next stack!"

From the other side of the room, a woman with black shoulder-length black hair and eyes was already coming over with a large pile of documents. She was a bit surprised by how hard Tsunade had been working in the first place, especially since had recently awoken from her coma. Shizune was a bit concerned that Tsunade was in such a mood to do any paperwork at all, but she didn't dwell on it for too long since she was happy just to see her mentor up and about again.

A few moments later, the sound of a loud knock could be heard on the wooden door of the office. Since Tsunade had her nose to the grindstone with filling out the documents, Shizune answered for her. "Come in."

The door had roughly swung open and Naruto had hurried inside with Sakura following not too far behind him. "Bāchan, is it true?! You have new information on Sasuke's whereabouts?"

"Yes, Naruto." Tsunade answered without looking up from her paperwork. Stopping for a moment, she opened one of the drawers and picked up the scroll that had said information in it. "According to the intel from our Reconnaissance Team, Sasuke and his team are were last seen heading towards Nikkō Inn Town that's located in the Land of Swamps. There has also been rumors about the four of them defeating the last members of the Akastuki."

"Sasuke-kun...defeated the other members of the Akatsuki…?" Sakura questioned a bit surprised from the news. "But why…? That doesn't make any sense."

Naruto couldn't believe that Sasuke would even turn his back on the Akatsuki. Then again, if he was willing to try and sever his bonds with him, Sakura, and Kakashi, what was stopping him from cutting ties with Tobi if they had nothing to give him to drive him towards his ambition. The blonde was drawing blanks on why Sasuke would do such a thing, but the good news was Sasuke wasn't too far since the Land of Swamps was allied with the Land of Fire. If they could get an early departure, they would be able to finally bring Sasuke home where he belonged.

All they needed now was the permission from Tsunade to continue their search and Naruto was more than certain that she would knowing how much Sasuke meant to them. "Bāchan, is Kakashi-sensei or Yamato-taichō in the village right now?"

"I'm afraid not, Naruto. They haven't returned from the joint mission in Sunagakure yet, so you would have to wait for them to come back." Shizune had looked over at the mission records to see if they were available and their names were already marked as 'employed'.

"Can't you just send the three of us for the time being? That should be more than enough, right?" Naruto pressed further, hoping that Shizune would see their strong capabilities as a team and let them continue on their retrieval mission. And by three, he meant Sai would come along with them as well. He refused to let Sasuke slip from them again.

"But a four-man cell is standard protocol for all standard missions, Naruto. Not only that, it will take us at least three days at the most to get to Nikkō Inn Town." Sakura was trying to be practical and realistic about this situation. She wanted to help Naruto, but not under these critical circumstances. "I know you want to bring Sasuke-kun back, but we can't be afford to be careless. You may be the hero that saved the village, but you must understand that we have to retain some sense of order in the village before taking on standard missions again."

Naruto crossed his arms and looked at the medic nin with an incredulous look. "Sakura-chan, don't you want to bring him back? So we can all be a team again and keep the bond that we had?"

There was no doubt that Sakura wanted to help the blond bring Sasuke back, but the feelings that she once had for the Uchiha were slowly fading away. She was coming to terms that Sasuke was someone that she cannot hold dear within her heart anymore, but for Naruto's sake, she would do whatever she can for him. If Sasuke were to come back into the picture, then she was more than certain that her feelings and the strength she gained from not holding onto false hope would diminished and she didn't want that. Lifting a hand to a whiskered cheek, she gently patted it and smiled at him. "Of course I do. It's just that-"

Outside of the makeshift office, there were a few snorts and giggles and it wasn't long before it turned into a full blown laughing fit. Both Naruto and Sakura had went outside when they heard the laughter and sitting on a branch outside was a person hiding themselves within the trees. Judging by the voice, this person's voice had definitely belonged to a female.

"Oh, man." The girl had ceased her laughter for a moment, but a few stifled laughs managed to slip while she was trying to regain her composure. "And I thought only girls got that frantic when it came down to the person that they cherished. You must really care about this 'Sasuke' guy a lot."

From the little jab, Naruto was a bit irritated by this person's laughter and not to mention the thing she said about him and Sasuke didn't help his growing impatience. Patience never was his strong point to begin with. Naruto couldn't really see whoever it was, on account that they were sitting underneath the tree branches that concealed a majority of her figure. Not taking any chances, a kunai slipped from the right sleeve of his jacket as Naruto grasped it, ready for possibly anything. "Who are you?"

"Geez, relax." She chided in amusement, holding her hand up to stop them from doing anything too reckless. "It was just a joke. No need to take it seriously. Is this how all Konoha ninja treat their guests?"

"Shishō, who is that?" Sakura questioned as soon as Tsunade and Shizune had came outside to see what all the commotion was about.

"That's the other reason why I brought you here." Tsunade stated. "This girl had arrived here in the village last week and she's been wanting to meet with the both of you."

"Any particular reasons why?" Naruto asked, being very watchful of the girl's actions.

"Oh, heaven forbid if a fan wanted to meet two of the strongest shinobi in the village." She was now jabbing at their vigilance and alertness, which she couldn't necessarily blame them for. "Naruto Uzumaki, also known as the 'Hero of the Hidden Leaf' and Sakura Haruno, the talented kunoichi known as 'Tsunade Number Two' for her medical ninjutsu and battle prowess. Am I correct?"

From that accusation, both Naruto and Sakura had a small tinge of pink on their cheeks. It's not like they were embarrassed or anything; they never considered themselves anything god-like of the sort. The pair only saw themselves as shinobi and nothing more.

"Why don't you introduce yourself to them?" Shizune requested.

"Sure thing." The girl had stood up from the branch as she balanced herself on it, turning her full attention on Naruto. "Kimpatsu over there looks like he's gonna lose it if I don't talk soon."

Before Naruto could give a verbal combat of his own, the girl had leaped forward with a front flip and she landed on the ground as she had dusted off her clothes from any excess dirt that could have possibly got on them. When she fully stood up, she greeted the with a confident smirk and placed her hand on one of her hips. She was sporting a charcoal gray cloak with a gold design on the right side of her chest and it reached down to her ankles. Reaching up to the hood of the cloak, she pulled it down and finally revealed herself to them. "I'm Nariko. It's very nice to meet you, Naruto and Sakura."

Light blue and celadon green eyes widen in disbelief from the appearance of the stranger in front of them. After getting over the initial shock, Naruto was the one to react first and the scream that Naruto released could be heard throughout the entire village. " **EHHHHHHHH?!** "

* * *

*****NEXT CHAPTER*****

_\- Mystery -  
Nariko and Miyuki_

_In an interesting turn of events, Naruto and Sakura shows the new girl Nariko around the village. While getting to know her, a piece of her past accidentally slips out. Meanwhile in Nikkō Inn Town, Miyuki tangles with a group of bandits and things get a little hairy for her until a shinobi wielding a large throat cleaver steps in to aid her._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ::: = AUTHOR'S NOTES = :::
> 
> Terminology  
> Kimpatsu = "Blonde or Blond Hair"  
> Shishō = "Master or Teacher"

**Author's Note:**

>  **::: = AUTHOR'S NOTES = :::**  
>  Let me explain a couple of things before you start reading the story. This fanfic will have five main original characters occuring in the story and they will have supporting roles and aid the canon characters in the story. If you're not too keen about original characters having a role in the story, you're more than welcome to disregard this fanfic. If you do enjoy the story, comments, reviews, and constructive criticism are always welcome. It helps me want to continue writing it.
> 
> Disclaimer: All of the canon characters and material belong to Masashi Kishimoto and Shounen Jump. Original characters, main villians, the plot, and concepts not include in the Naruto series only belong to me. I write this story solely for entertainment purposes.  
>  ****
> 
>  
> 
> **:: TERMINOLOGY ::**  
>  "SNTE" means "Subsequent Nine Tails Events". Since there is no solid year reference in the Naruto series, this will be the reference point used when describing certain events for the story.
> 
> "Eiyūtan" means "Epic; Heroic Tale" in Japanese, so the title of the story literally translates to "Naruto Heroic Tale - The Convergence of Fate"


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